Allozymic Differentiation between Two Ecological Types of Flashing Behavior in the Japanese Firefly, Luciola cruciata

The Japanese firefly, Luciola cruciata, is divided into two ecological types on the basis of flash interval of mate-seeking male, and their distribution is separated into the east and west areas on the border of the Itoigawa-Shizuoka tectonic line as the great dislocation of the Honshu. To evaluate degree of genetic differentiation between the two types, 15 populations were examined by allozymic analysis of 13 enzymes. A dendrogram for the populations constructed by NEI'S genetic distance showed that L. cruciata was divided into two groups corresponding to the two ecological types, and average genetic distance between them was 0.09. The result suggested that the two ecological types must have a reproductive isolation in mating behavior from each other.